Google buys parcel storage service for Christmas

'We have made rage a thing of the past'. Except at Amazon

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Google has acquired Canadian startup Bufferbox for an undisclosed sum.

The self-serve parcel pick-up station outfit, which started life at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, announced it had been scooped up by the advertising giant on Friday.

"As online shopping becomes a bigger part of how you buy products, we look forward to playing a part in bringing that experience to the next level. We are happy to share that it will be business as usual for our users and we are looking forward to continuing to build out the service," Bufferbox said in a blog post on its website.

It claims to make "rage-inspiring missed deliveries a thing of the past."

Bufferbox users arrange for goods they've ordered online to be shipped to one of its pick-up stations. Punters receive a PIN code via email, which apparently then "magically" opens a door with their package contained inside.

Bufferbox started out as a pilot scheme at the University of Waterloo before being deployed across the Greater Toronto area.

Online retail colossus Amazon already has a similar service dubbed Locker Delivery. ®